Never Be the Same
by CoffeeMugBalloons
Summary: When Jason entered his senior year of high school, he expected to have fun, live his best life, enjoy the time he had left, and avoid as much drama as possible. Things don't go as planned, though, when an old flame comes back into town and Jason finds himself vying for the very heart that he drove away in the first place. Mortal AU
1. Chapter 1

Never Be The Same chapter 1

Jason POV

When Jason got to his first day of senior year, he couldn't help but be relieved. Let's be honest: high school is a pain in the ass no matter how smart you are. Jason was on the more intelligent end, but that just meant he had harder classes that challenged him like everyone else. Thankfully, he had loaded his Junior year with an abundance of APs, even foregoing a study period in order to take as many APs as possible so his senior year schedule was as easy as it could be for him. He was ranked 2nd in his graduating class, only being beat by his good friend Annabeth. That girl was nothing short of a genius and made calculus-based physics look easy (she DID take the class and pass the test with a 4 as a sophomore!).

Jason was popular, if you could call it that. Yes, like all high schools there was a hierarchy, but at Goode it was a very loose hierarchy. Jason was well-known, well-liked, well-rounded, and well-respected. As were everyone he surrounded himself with. So they were "popular." He was a state and regional champion, excelling as a decathlete, and was almost secure in a D1 recruitment seeing as several schools were already vying for his attention, hoping to nab him before signing day. If he was being honest, he was hoping to be recruited by Harvard (he always was an in-the-closest Red Sox fan).

The ultimate goal was to cruise through senior year, earn a few medals and titles, get good grades, get into college, and have fun. No drama.

Easier said than done, of course.

Jason stepped out of his 2017 Chevy Impala (blue, of course), slinging his bag over his shoulder and locking the car with the fob key. He let out a sigh as he gazed at the beauty that was Goode high.

Goode was small by no means. The campus was quite large and beautiful. That was to be expected since most people who went to Goode had a decent amount of money and taxes basically determine how good a school is. Jason's family was pretty well-set, his father owning an airline company and all. That doesn't mean Jason didn't work- over the summer he would intern with his father, and had a part time job during the school year at the local gym.

"Yo, Jason!"

Jason turned around to see his best friend Leo running up to him, accompanied by his other friends: Annabeth, Piper, Nico, Reyna, Frank, and Hazel. They were just about the best people he could ask to be friends with, even though they didn't seem to go well together.

Annabeth was nothing short of a genius, even proving to be one of the smartest in the country. Surprisingly she never skipped a grade, although Jason had no doubt in his mind that she very well could have graduated college right then if she so chose. Piper was probably his closest friend of the bunch, excluding Leo. They dated for over a year but mutually ended it in the middle of junior year (they still went to prom together though). Nico was Jason's brooding younger cousin. Not that he didn't have a reason to brood: his sister had died in a car accident when he was young and he never fully recovered from the loss. Reyna was captain of the girl's volleyball team and one of the most terrifying girls Jason knew. The only one that rivaled her was Annabeth when you took her book away from her. Frank was a big burly dude, though his stature didn't match his baby panda face. His girlfriend was Hazel. Hazel was a shy wall-flower for as long as Jason could remember, until she got into activism and found her voice.

Jason smiled. "Hey guys, did you enjoy summer?" Piper released a sob and wiped a tear from her eye. If you weren't close with her you'd probably think she was really crying. She was the daughter of a famous actor and president of the drama department for a reason.

"Please refrain from mentioning the loss of summer, my true love. May he rest in peace. Oh, how I miss him so!" Jason smirked at her acting and held his hands up in surrender.

"Fine fine, I won't mention him until he comes back in a few months. Come on, we need to go grab our schedules."

The crew walked in, ready to take on whatever was beyond those doors. Or so they thought.

0()0()0()0()0

The school was just as busy as Jason remembered and suddenly he felt like he never left. He held his schedule firmly in hand, walking with his friends to the outside cafeteria. They still had about 15 minutes until the warning bell rung and figured they'd enjoy the nice weather before they were trapped inside a school for nearly 7 hours.

After being somewhere for a while, you tend to find a spot that you end up claiming as yours just because you're there so much. For example, a seat in a class. After you choose a seat on the first day, it's basically yours unless the teacher rips it away from you. You'd think, by this logic, the same could be said for a lunch table.

Jason and his friends had been sitting at the same outside table for lunch or as a morning meeting spot. You'd think that the spot would be secure and safe from scavengers, but he was wrong. What surprised Jason more was who was there. At first, he assumed it would be a freshman who just needed a nudge in the right direction, but he was wrong.

At the table was Grover Underwood talking to a boy that Jason did not recognize. Grover barely talked to Jason since freshman year- only when necessary. The boy was somewhat crippled, needing crutches to get around. His situation would be worse if his parents didn't have money. A few years ago, Grover was heavily bullied due to his condition, but in only a couple years, Goode went from a place of complete intolerance to the opposite. Jason liked to pretend it was by some miracle that it happened, but he really knew the truth.

The boy, on the other hand, was unrecognizable, especially from the back. Yeah Goode was a big school but Jason wasn't aware of any black hair, sun-glasses wearing, tan skinned guy that wore a white romper with a paint-splattered print. Though, from the conversation it seemed that Grover did.

Jason and his crew approached cautiously, hoping to not seem imposing to Grover or his friend. Really, they just wanted their table.

Grover stopped talking completely when he finally took notice of Jason and the group when they were a few meters away. His face morphed into a glare. Grover wasn't known to be mean, either.

"G-man, what's wrong?" the stranger said, taking notice of Grover's changed expression. Jason froze at the name. He hadn't heard it in years. The group seemed to also take notice. Grover nodded in Jason's direction.

Without question, the strange teen turned around to see what Grover was gesturing to. Almost instantly his mouth formed into a frown, matching Grover's, and his eyebrows furrows. His eyes were still covered though and that gave Jason hope that it wasn't who he thought was in front of him.

"Jason," he said emotionless.

Said boy swallowed the rock in his throat, taking note of the familiar marks on his tanned arms. "Yeah, and who might you be?" Jason asked, feinting ignorance and hoping for the best.

The boy reached up and removed his sun-glasses.

Sea-green met sky-blue.

"Percy." Jason said. He felt like vomiting.

Percy smirked, but his eyes were cold. "And here I was thinking you didn't recognize me. You can't get rid of me no matter how hard you try, Jason."


	2. Chapter 2

Never Be The Same chapter 2

"Wait," Leo said, breaking the moment of uncomfortable silence. "You cannot be Percy! He was this scrawny little kid that dropped of the face of the Earth!"

Percy released a humorless laugh, his eyes still fixed on Jason. "People change. Isn't that right Jason?" Said boy's hands began to sweat. This whole ordeal was not how he was supposed to begin his senior year.

Letting out a breath, Jason hardened his gaze and regained his composure. Yes, Percy was back. But what should that matter? Jason wasn't going to let him dictate his senior year. Yes, Percy had clearly changed. Jason couldn't help but notice how attractive the boy had become. The only thing that had somewhat ruined his image were the few scars that were on his arms. The blonde teen did not let himself theorize where they had come from.

"You're at my table," Jason finally said. It was a lame excuse to change the conversation in hopes it would not go into a direction that Jason didn't want. Percy raised a skeptical eyebrow.

"Grover and I were just leaving. Let's go G-Man."

Percy shrugged on his backpack and him and Grover walked away, not before the latter boy shot Jason with a glare and the group with a look of disappointment. When they were finally out of ear-shot, Jason nearly collapsed onto the table bench from exhaustion. How could one encounter become so draining? Or maybe it was fatigue from the guilt he had been lugging around for years finally becoming too much to bear.

Piper came into his line of vision, her arms crossed and a stern look on her face. His other friends looked on expectantly (even Annabeth, her book forgotten in her hand).

"Jason, what the hell was that?"

"An old friend?" Jason supplied, but it came out as more of a question than a legitimate answer. Clearly Piper wasn't buying it either.

Jason sighed. "You all remember Percy, right?" The group nodded slowly.

"Uh, yeah," Frank finally said. "Wasn't he kind of an outcast? Kinda weird?"

"He was bullied, too, right?" Hazel asked, her chest filling with some sympathy for the boy. "And then he left Goode."

Jason nodded, confirming his friend's words. "Yeah, we were close friends in middle school. Then we had a falling out over the summer and weren't friends when we got to high school."

"I wouldn't call that a simple 'falling out,' Jason. Clearly you were too in shock to take notice of his body language and yours. A 'falling out' wouldn't result in his clear hatred of you," Annabeth deduced as she stuck her nose into her book.

Running a hand through his hair, Jason stood up. "I'll see you all at lunch, kay? Same place as always," he finished with with a smile in order to cover up the tension between the group of friends.

They waved him off skeptically, still confused about the whole situation. Jason knew they wouldn't push him, though. He had never proven to be untrustworthy before, and would open up to them when he was ready. Besides, he had bigger problems to deal with.

Surviving senior year had just become a hell of a lot harder.

0()0()0()0()0

Jason arrived at his first class about 10 minutes before the bell rung. He figured that one of the best ways to prevent senioritis was sitting in the front so that he was forced to pay attention. There were only a couple people in the room so far, but Jason didn't expect a lot more to trickle in. AP Chemistry was not that popular a class at Goode (the teacher was a bit of a hard-ass. Most people didn't survive pre-AP chem).

It wasn't until 2 minutes after the bell rang, after all the students had arrived and took their seats did the teacher walk in with a familiar romper-clad boy trailing her.

"Hello class, sorry I'm late. I ran into Mr. Jackson here in the office and we lost track of time. Mr. Jackson, why don't you introduce yourself to the class while I prepare the syllabus?" the chem teacher, Mrs. Tucker, said.

Percy nodded, giving a grin and a wave to the class, though his eyes hardened when landing on Jason, his smile never wavered.

"I'm not sure if any of you remember me but I'm Percy Jackson. I transferred during my freshman year, but I'm back now. Uh... I was the High School California state champion in the butterfly when I was in California. I almost qualified for the Olympics, just missing third place." Jason's eyes widened, but he was sure he wasn't the only one. "Michael Phelps is a cool dude, by the way. He follows me on Twitter. Um..."

"Are you single?" a girl in the back asked as her friend giggled along with her. Jason recognized her as Drew Tanaka, her friend being Lacy Newton. They were known as the class flirts and lifes of the party, while still maintaining a high GPA.

Percy chuckled. "If you have a single guy friend, let me know. I had to break up with my boyfriend when I left Cali."

Drew visibly deflated before her eyes lit up like a Christmas tree. "I might have a few ideas."

"Okay," Mrs. Tucker finally said. "That was very nice, thank you Mr. Jackson. Please take a seat at the lab table with Mr. Grace. He seems to be in need of a lab partner."

"Sure thing, Mrs. Tucker," Percy responded casually.

Although his tone was nonchalant Jason could see how heavy Percy's steps were as they walked towards him. It was as if Percy was scared to sit with Jason. Not that Jason felt that being Percy's lab partner was going to be a ray of sunshine. Last time he checked, Percy was barely able to get through the first half of freshman algebra, barely clinging onto his D-. Honestly Jason wasn't sure he was going to get through AP chem with a passing grade. Or without getting hydrochloric acid "accidentally" spilled on him.

As if reading his thoughts, Percy said, "Don't worry about your precious GPA, Grace. I'm not as stupid as you think. I'm also not as cruel as you to ruin your reputation and tell your friends everything you did."

Jason swallowed hard. Big egos were hard to swallow. Like a horse-sized pill. "Listen, Percy, I'm so-"

"I don't want any apologies. Nothing can change what happened. And I'll never forgive you."

Percy thanked Mrs. Tucker when she handed him his syllabus and began reading, leaving Jason in stunned silence.

How was he going to get through the year?


	3. Chapter 3

Never Be The Same chapter 3

Jason was angry at the fact he had one class with Percy. Even more so that he was his lab partner for the year in that class. Yet somehow Jason's day got progressively worse, seeing as he learned he shared four classes with the boy.

After chem, Jason had a free study period which he was thankful for. Of course on the first day there isn't much to do, so he took the time to re-read over the chem syllabus and make a list of supplies he'd need for the year. Once the bell rang, he trudged to his gym class. Yes, he took gym as a senior. Yes he could have waived gym being a 2-season athlete. Thing is, Jason wanted at least 2 classes where he didn't need to do much (the other being his study hall).

Jason was pleasantly surprised to walk into the locker room and see Frank and Leo in there changing into their gym clothes. The unfortunate part? Percy was also in there. Though, the raven-haired boy paid no mind to Jason or his friends seeing as he was isolated at a locker that was hidden in a corner. That didn't stop Jason from peeking at Percy when he changed his shirt. Noticing his tan skin. His muscles. His scars. None of which Jason would have associated with Percy before he left.

Percy and Jason met when they were just starting middle school. Jason didn't really have any friends and gravitated towards Percy and Grover. They accepted him almost immediately and a trio was born. They always did everything together. Inseparable. Three musketeers.

And then they fell apart.

"Jason," Frank said, breaking him out of his thoughts. "Finish getting ready. Reyna and Annabeth are probably waiting on the bleachers." Jason nodded, stripping off his shirt and replacing it with one that was better issued for physical activity, but not before noticing Percy's absence.

0()0()0()0()0

Frank, Leo, and Jason walked towards the bleachers where everyone else was gathered and waiting for instruction from the gym teacher. What surprised Jason was seeing Reyna and Annabeth smiling and laughing.

With Percy.

The trio approached slowly, allowing the girls' laughter to die down as they took notice of them. For the second time that day, Percy turned around and glared daggers into Jason.

"I talk to you guys later," he said glumly, pushing past Jason to find a place on the bleachers as far away from the blonde as possible.

"You know Jason, I don't get why you guys stopped being friends. Percy's a pretty nice guy. Smart too," Reyna suggested.

Jason scoffed. "Never in my life have I heard that Percy Jackson was smart."

"Really?" Annabeth asked. "He was in my AP Biology class and got a higher grade on our pre-test than I did. And I only got a couple wrong."

Jason raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, didn't he mention he was taking, like 5 AP classes this year? You either have to be smart or crazy to do that," Reyna said.

At that moment, Coach Hedge, the football coach and gym teacher walked in, making his presence known by the shrill sound of a whistle.

"Okay cupcakes! It's the first day of gym so I'd figure we'd have a little fun. How do you twigs feel about dodgeball?"

The gym almost instantly erupted into cheers and excited whispers. Jason took notice that most of the class had people of athletic ability which would make the game that much more fun and competitive.

"Quiet down, cupcakes. I'll be choosing 2 captains to pick teams. There are an even number of you, though, so whichever team picks first gets the smaller amount of people. Grace, Castellan, you're captains."

Luke Castellan. Jason wouldn't necessarily call him a rival, but there was some animosity between the two teens. Luke was a star on the basketball team, and baseball team. Like Jason, he was in talks to be recruited by a D1 school. Luke sauntered down from the top of the bleachers and joined Jason on either side of Coach Hedge.

"Winner of the coin toss gets to decide if they want to pick first or second," Hedge said as he took out a coin. In an instant, he threw it up in the air and Jason didn't even have time to open his mouth before Luke called 'tails' and the coin landed tails up.

Luke grinned triumphantly. "Great, I'll pick first. Annabeth." Annabeth stood up from her spot next to Reyna to join Luke.

"Frank," Jason said without hesitation, giving his friend a handshake when he was joined by him.

"Reyna."

"Leo."

"Ethan."

"Charles."

It continued until the teams were split 7 to 7 with three people left. One was Percy and the other two were football players whom Jason couldn't recall the names of. Maybe they just didn't get much play time. Either way, they'd be an asset on his team.

"Percy," Luke said, giving the green-eyed boy a wink. Percy blushed as he walked down to join Luke's team. Jason's stomach began to bubble up in anger, but he didn't know why.

The two football players walked to Jason's side. Jason took inventory of the two teams. His own team was filled with bulky guys that could throw a ball fast enough that it would probably be impossible to dodge while Luke's had faster people and Annabeth who'd probably make a fool-proof strategy.

"Okay, cupcakes! Ready? Set? Go!"

At the sound of the whistle, the teams sprinted to the middle.

0()0()0()0()0

Unlike the rest of his team, Jason stayed back. Annabeth wasn't the only one that could come up with strategy. Though, she seemed to have the same idea and stayed as close to the opposite wall as possible while analyzing Jason's team.

Once in a while Jason had to dodge a flying ball, but other than that, his team was doing good. He had gotten a couple people out on Luke's team once he thought of a battle plan, one of them being Luke who took a ball for Percy. Sadly, that only left Percy, Reyna, and Annabeth against Jason, Charles, Frank, and the two football players who Jason learned were named Cody and Bryce.

What Jason failed to notice was that his side was completely clear of balls while the other side was full of them. It was two late though, as both Cody and Bryce were dispatched by Percy and Reyna. Frank responded quickly, nearly knocking Reyna down with the force of his throw. Charles was next to fall, distracted by Annabeth who was kept faking him out to notice a ball flying right at his face courtesy of Percy.

After a couple minutes of standoff, both Annabeth and Frank fell to red rubber balls and went to join their fallen comrades on the sidelines, leaving Percy and Jason in a standoff with each other.

"Stop fondling those balls, Grace, and throw it already!" Percy taunted. Jason's face went red as the ball he was holding. The class laughed but Percy's eyes glinted in mirth. He knew he had struck a cord in Jason. Jason whipped the ball at Percy but the teen dodged with surprising ease.

"That all you got? Let me give it a shot."

Percy picked up a red ball, twirling it in his hands a few times before winding up. Jason spread his legs and crouched, either ready to dodge or catch.

Time seemed to slow down. Percy let go of the ball.

On instinct, Jason jumped for it once he noticed the trajectory of the ball was above his head. Yet, it was just out of grip. The rubber touched Jason's hand and just as fast it was gone.

"Luke's team wins! Now go get changed, class is about to end," Hedge announces. The team cheers and congratulates Percy on his win as they walk to the locker room. Luke throws his arm around the raven-haired boy, leading him to the locker room and Jason can notice the blush that adorns his tan cheeks. For the second time that day, an unfamiliar feeling bubbles up in the pit of his stomach.

"Don't be too hard on yourself Jason. Percy was just really good," Leo says in comfort. "Now let's go get changed. One more period and then lunch!"


	4. Chapter 4

Never Be The Same chapter 4

Lunch couldn't have come soon enough. Somehow Jason's first day had been the longest day of school in his life. Wasn't senior year supposed to fly by? Wasn't there supposed to be no drama or complications? Jason's thoughts raced and he finally made it to his usual outside lunch table with his tray. Annabeth was already there seeing as she brought her own lunch. Her face wasn't buried in a book though. She was looking at Jason expectantly.

"What really went on between you and Percy?" she deadpanned.

"Excuse me?" Jason asked, taken aback by the bluntness.

"I know that you and Percy had more than a falling out," she replied.

Jason swallowed. "And what makes you say that?"

"I did some research and digging," Annabeth shrugged, taking a bite of her fruit salad.

"You did all that in a few hours? What did you even learn?" Jason was hoping that her information was false or that she was bluffing, but he knew that somehow it wasn't that case with Annabeth.

"I learned that before our friend group got together you were quite the up-and-coming freshman among the upperclassmen. Of course, none of us were really popular enough to learn of the doings of the juniors and seniors when we were freshmen. I learned that you used to be quite the bully. I learned that Percy was often the victim of your bullying, as well as your senior friends." Jason swallowed hard.

"What really interested in me though," Annabeth continued, "was what happened over the summer to trigger this behavior because it didn't sound like the Jason I know."

"Then what was my reason?" Jason asked with a clenched jaw.

Annabeth's eyes softened. She reached over the table and took Jason's hand in hers. "Jason, I don't know why you haven't told us that you're gay. It's perfectly fine."

Jason ripped his hand out of Annabeth's and glared hard. Her gaze didn't waver under Jason's burning eyes. "I'm not gay."

"Then why did you kiss Percy that summer?"

"He kissed me!" Jason defended.

Annabeth raised an eyebrow. "I heard you kissed back though. I heard your dad caught you. You pushed Percy away, said some awful things and your dad kicked Percy out in disgust. So then you decided to inoculate yourself in case Percy told anyone."

There was a few moments of silence before Annabeth continued. "Do you know why Percy moved away?"

Jason shrugged. "Because the bullying was bad?" Somehow Jason knew the answer was worse. He just hoped Annabeth didn't know.

"Do you see those scars, Jason? They're from self harm. Jason, he tried to kill himself at one point."

The teen's eyes clenched shut to keep the tears and the guilt from showing. "I know. Me and the guys got a strict talking to. Sally, his mom, was there. She was always so happy, and I had never seen her so heartbroken. She didn't want us to be punished, though. That's why Goode is such an accepting place now. We were forced to make that change until it happened."

Annabeth grabbed his hand once again, squeezing it. "You know there's still a chance of reconciliation. Luke was part of that group, one of the cool freshmen if you remember. He got wind of Percy being back in town thanks to his uncle and brought his sorry ass to Percy's apartment to apologize. I guess there was a lot of crying. Luke's bi, ya know? He bullied out of self-conflict to."

"But I'm not gay," Jason asserted. It tasted odd on his tongue though. He had never really been attracted to girls. Could he tell they were attractive? Yes. Had a kissed a few? Of course. But did he ever feel anything? Not at all.

"You don't need to admit it now, but I know that you feel guilty regardless. You need to apologize Jason."

"Apologize for what?" Jason nearly jumped at the sound of Piper's voice. She planted herself right in between Annabeth and Jason, effectively ending the talk that Jason had no intention of having again. "Who'd you piss off this time, Jase?" Piper joked, popping a fry into her mouth.

"I accidentally ran into some kid and made his stuff go flying. I was too in a rush to say sorry though," Jason lied. He scratched his neck awkwardly.

Piper raised an eyebrow. "That's weird. Oh look here come the others!"

Lunch carried on fairly normally, but Jason didn't miss the concerned glances Annabeth shot him. Especially when he saw Percy laughing with Luke and Grover a few tables over. What he did miss, though, were the sea-green eyes that were staring right back.

0()0()0()0()0

Jason's last class of the day was his mythology class with his favorite teacher of all time: Chiron Bruner. He had had the disabled man at least once a year (last year for AP European History), and knew that Chiron had been pushing for this mythology course for a while. Hell, he was named after the centaur that mentored all great heroes in Greek Mythology, this class was made for him.

Jason was thankful to see all his friends in this class seeing as he only had Piper and Nico in his last one. They all sat in a back corner- even Annabeth! Jason expected her to probably sit near the front, but no, she was in the back.

The class was relatively small with the eight of them, and about six others. Jason honestly preferred smaller classes, especially with teachers like Mr. Bruner where you wanted as much of his attention you could get because he had so much to share. Jason took note that Percy and Luke were also in the class and sat right next to each other at the front of the room. Mr. Bruner finished writing on the white board just as the bell rang.

"Hello class, I hope you enjoyed your summer. I can assure you, though, you'll love this class more," Chiron introduced. There were some snickers of skepticism and disbelief at Chiron's bold statement. The man smiled.

"I know, an outrageous statement. How is being stuck in a classroom better than being out at the beach in the sun? The answer is your imagination." Chiron gestured to the whiteboard behind him. "I have laid out a timeline of the civilizations and religions we shall be learning about. The full syllabus will be emailed to you, I'd hate to waste paper. But I digress. We will be learning first about the Sumerians, briefly, then the Greeks and Romans, the Egyptians, and finally the Norse myths.

"As the first of this class, you all will be my guinea pigs. I plan to make this a project heavy course and give as little tests as possible. I want to expand your imagination and the way you see the world. Give you a little culture."

The class erupted into excited whispers.

"Seeing as you all seem so eager to begin, pick a partner and choose a Sumerian god or goddess to begin research on. Create a short powerpoint on that deity's origins, domains, relations, and whatever else is relevant to the understanding of their myth. You can work until the end of the period."

Almost instantly each person grabbed their partner. Annabeth snagged Reyna before anyone could snag herself and make her do all the work. Hazel got to working with Frank (of course), while Leo took Piper, leaving Jason with Nico. Jason didn't mind Nico, really. If anything, Jason was the closest person to Nico in the group, except for Hazel who was his half sister. Jason was the first person that Nico came out to.

It filled Jason with an ocean of guilt.

How he chased one of his friends away due to his sexuality and even Jason's own sexuality (which he was still questioning), while his new friend trusted Jason enough to come out to him as gay.

The irony left a bad taste in Jason's mouth.


	5. Chapter 5

Never Be the Same chapter 5

The first week of school flew by and was fairly painless after Monday. First week was always easier than the rest, only full of syllabi and pretests and little homework. All Jason had to do that Friday night was copy down some notes and get ready for the first football game of the season and the after party because Goode was a shoo-in for the win.

Jason trotted down the spiraled stairs, bidding his housekeeper a goodbye (seeing as his dad wasn't at home, as usual), to which he got a blessing of safe travels in return.

Once in his car, Jason began heading towards Leo's house. The group of friends figured that Jason would be the designated driver seeing as he never drank or smoked. The other one being Annabeth who'd be picking up Reyna and Piper.

Jason's hands gripped the wheel a little tighter. Something felt off, like something was going to happen tonight. He hoped it was just indigestion.

0()0()0()0()0

The party was in full swing, having started nearly an hour ago with the time nearing 11pm. Jason was perched comfortably in the corner, away from the crowd, with his water bottle in his hand. Even in Drew Tanaka's mansion, the area was open enough that being in the corner allowed him to keep an eye on all his friends. He knew Annabeth was also camping out somewhere to keep an eye on anyone Jason couldn't.

It didn't take long for people to start getting buzzed. Drinking games like beer pong and truth or dare (with alcohol) were scattered all around the house. Not to mention the wide variety of alcohol that was at the disposal of anyone who wanted it. Jason almost laughed when he saw Leo getting a jell-o shot off of some girl's stomach. The closest the Latino could ever get to a girl was when they were both drunk.

At around midnight was when the first drama of the night began to start. Jason had already gathered Nico who was passed out on the couch and Leo that was so drunk that standing was just not an option. Thankfully Frank and Hazel had decided to stay in and watch a movie because Jason didn't want to think about having to lug the panda bear that was Frank Zhang into his car and into his house. Occasionally, Jason and Annabeth brought their friends to his house after a party if they were too drunk to function. Mainly because they were easier to take care of if they were all in one spot and Jason didn't trust them to fend for themselves, but also because Jason's dad was essentially never home so there was always room for everyone. And no one would get grounded. The others usually had at least one parental figure home at all time or, in Annabeth's case, siblings that would snitch at the slightest whiff of alcohol just to get their sister in trouble.

"Luke, get off of me," Jason heard as he was quite literally dragging Nico to his car.

He turned around to see a drunk Percy trying to fend off the advancements of an equally drunk Luke. The dark-haired boy kept drunkenly pushing the latter's hand's away from his shirt which he kept trying to unbutton.

"Come on, Perceeee," Luke slurred. "Ya know, that ya wanna have some fun."

"No, Luke," Percy responded, trying desperately to keep Luke's hands from going any further. The blonde pushed Percy to the ground, causing him to land painfully on his rear-end.

Jason was conflicted. He knew that Percy probably hated his guts, even drunk Percy, but knew that it was better than Luke taking advantage of the boy. Jason hurriedly shoved Nico into the car next to Leo and sent Annabeth a quick text saying he'd be a couple minutes late and to just let herself in. She knew were the drunk/hangover kit was.

Taking swift steps, Jason got between Luke and Percy, effectively stopping the blonde teen's advancements.

"Step off, Castellan. No means no, drunk or not."

"Ss-step aside, Grace. This is between me and Percy."

Jason gave Luke and little shove back, putting more space between him and the green-eyed boy who seemed to be shaking a bit. It was not cold out.

"I'm not going to tell you again Luke. Leave," Jason asserted, puffing out his chest a bit. Hey, everyone knows that animals make themselves look bigger to look more imposing and show dominance. Don't blame him, blame science.

Luke gave a lingering glare before stumbling off to some other part of the house. Jason turned to Percy who was covering his chest and shaking. Jason noticed some vomit on his clothes.

"Percy," Jason said quietly. "Are you okay? Do you need a ride home?"

The teen shook his head. "No." Then after a moment nodded shamefully. "J-just can't go home. Mom gunna kill me."

Jason nodded in understanding, guiding Percy to his car and buckling him into the front seat.

0()0()0()0()0

The ride to Jason's house was almost completely silent. The only sound was Leo's incessant snoring, but Percy didn't seem to mind. He had the window rolled down the whole ride, probably getting some relief from the wind.

Annabeth was already in the house and passed out in the living room with Piper and Reyna. Jason took notice of an open bathroom door, empty glasses, and advil on the counter for anyone that woke up. One after the other, Jason took Leo and Nico out of his car and placed them on a comforter than Annabeth had kindly put on the floor for them seeing as the girls were taking up the couches.

When he got back to his car, Jason noticed that Percy had finally fallen asleep. Jason gingerly lifted him out of the car and closed the door as quiet as possible. Jason figured that he'd probably need to place Percy in his room. He wasn't sure how comfortable the boy would be if he woke up in a room full of people he wasn't exactly well acquainted with.

Adjusting Percy bridal style (gods, Jason hoped he was still asleep), Jason carried him up the winding stairs until he got to his bedroom door. Jason placed Percy on the bed and evaluated the situation. He grabbed Percy's phone from his pocket and unlocked it (yes there was no password and no he did not snoop), sending his mom a quick text about sleeping over a friend's house. Then, he ran to his bathroom, flicking a light on and grabbing advil from his medicine cabinet and a cup of water to put at his beside for when Percy woke up.

When Jason got back did he really get a good look a Percy. Although his face was clear, his romper (damn, how many did this kid own?) was covered in vomit. Jason, being the gracious host we was, figured he'd strip Percy of his clothes and wash them so they'd be ready in the morning. Slowly, Jason took off his shoes, and unzipped his romper, slipping it off his body.

Jason stopped when he saw the scars on Percy's tanned, muscular body. So much different from his scrawny, pale friend years ago who's only marks were freckles. Jason traced a couple, almost crying knowing he was the cause of them.

He wiped away the tears quickly before they fell and stood up to cover Percy with the covers.

"Jason," the boy said faintly. Jason was surprised to even hear him talk at all. "Could you stay with me?"

Jason almost could believe his ears. "I-uh-are you sure? I could just take the floor or sleep downstairs."

Percy shook his head even though his eyes were still closed. "Please."

After a moment Jason finally conceded. "Just give me a minute."

Jason walked out of the room, throwing the romper into the wash before coming back and going through his normal nightly routine. Brush teeth, floss, take out his contacts, and throw his clothes into the hamper.

He would have paid more attention to what he and Percy were wearing, both only in their underwear, but at that moment he was too tired to care. He'd suffer the consequences in the morning.


	6. Chapter 6

Never Be the Same chapter 6

The morning after was probably the worst part about being drunk. Hangovers were just unbearable- nausea, dizziness, being way to sensitive to light and sound, and throwing up. So much throwing up. So Percy shouldn't have been to shocked when he woke up with a pounding headache after a night of drinking.

What did surprise him was waking up in a bed that wasn't his own. With a person that had their arms wrapped around him. Percy almost would have snuggled into them.

Almost.

If he didn't know better. Percy tensed up. What if it was Luke? Percy wanted to puke at the thought of having done anything with Luke. Not that he didn't like the blonde- he was just fairly nauseous at that moment and their relationship was too young for them to be engaging in anything sexual. Percy had tried the whole 'sex on the first date' thing and it just didn't work for him. Yeah, he liked sleeping with guys once in a while but very very rarely so soon. (Yeah yeah, only a teen and sexually active, but can you blame him?)

Percy moved slowly in hopes to not wake the owner of the arms that had him in a vice grip. Percy closed his eyes and turned around, fearing whoever was in front of him. On the count of three.

One. Two. Three.

Somehow, the situation was worse than it would be if it were Luke.

Percy Jackson was in bed with Jason Grace.

Percy took notice that they were both topless. He tentatively lifted the sheet and tried not to vomit right there, seeing them both in their underwear. Either Jason had to warm Percy to keep him from getting hypothermia (which was extremely unlikely), or they had drunkenly slept together. That would explain the couple hickies and his aching bottom.

In one swift movement, Percy threw off the sheets and ripped himself of Jason's grip to go relieve the contents of his stomach.

At some point, Percy felt a hand begin to rub his back soothingly, but he paid it no mind. At the moment, the only thing that mattered was emptying his stomach of whatever he had ingested the night before.

Thankfully, he finished in a few minutes. Flushing the toilet, Percy shut the lid and sat on it, only to see a nearly naked Jason Grace towering over him with a glass of water in one hand and some advil in the other. Percy took them gratefully. The water didn't last 30 seconds, and neither did a couple pills.

Moments of silence passed, yet it felt like hours to Percy. Probably the ADHD. You couldn't really tell with the tension, though. Jason had taken to leaning against the doorway, arms crossed. Percy dared to take a look at the boy in front of him.

Jason had changed a bit, physically at least, from the last time Percy saw him. He guessed that's that happened when you didn't talk to someone for over three years. His hair had grown out the tiniest bit, leaving the clean buzzcut look for a more casual one. He traded in his black, thick rimmed glasses for a stylish pair (but Percy recalled seeing him adjusting a contact at school). He had grown taller, standing about an inch taller than Percy at 6'1".

Percy tried not to blush when looking at Jason's body. It was always built, but never so toned. Jason wasn't extremely muscly, but extremely toned which made him seem bigger. Part of Percy wanted to remember what they did last night. The other part of Percy felt anger in knowing that Jason treated him like shit on the bottom of his shoe and even had the audacity to put his thing in Percy's ass, drunk or not.

"We didn't do anything if that's what you were wondering," Jason said nervously. Percy was surprised at the broken silence.

"Oh," he responded lamely.

"Yeah, you just had some . . . uh . . ."

"Vomit?" Percy supplied.

"Uh, yeah, on your clothes. I figured I'd clean them. Didn't mean to leave you naked or anything. I was too tired to even get clothes for myself."

Percy didn't respond.

Another moment passed.

Why was he there again?

"I tried to call you know. A lot."

Percy's head snapped up and he glared. "What the fuck is that supposed to mean?

"I tried to apologize, Percy. Do you know how awful I felt after you left?"

The raven-haired boy stood up slowly. He would have been faster and more dramatic but if he did that, odds are he'd throw up all over the bathroom.

"You felt awful?" Percy gave a humorless laugh. "You have no right to feel awful. To act like me leaving was the cause for whatever guilt you felt."

Jason took a defiant step forward. "I lost my best friend when you left, Perce. I felt alone for weeks!"

"You felt alone, Jason!? I lost my best friend when he called me a faggot for being in love with him. When I kissed him when he kissed me right back, but somehow it was all my fault. When he called me stupid. Did you know everyone called me stupid back then Jason? Teachers, students, behind my back, to my face. All except you until you became a different person!"

Jason knew he was at fault and that Percy had valid points, but he was too stubborn to care. "Maybe you shouldn't have kissed a straight guy! My dad caught us! He would have kicked me out if I didn't do what I did!" A lame defense, but it was all he could muster.

"Boo hoo, you learn your dad is a homophobic shitbag that isn't around enough to probably even care anyway. I went through hell because of you Jason. I got beat up like some cliche movie everyday because of you. I became depressed because of you. I went through years of different therapies because of you. These scars? You," Percy finished, gesturing to his body. He pointed to one near his hip in the shape of a 'J'. "This one is to remind me that you are the cause of how fucked up I got while you were still here, living the perfect like. All because you couldn't admit you are fucking gay."

Percy's chest was heaving with his heavy breaths. He stared defiantly at Jason who had a look of shock on his face and deep guilt in his sky-blue eyes. Jason took a step back and put his head down.

"I'm sorry that you went through what you did."

"Jesus fucking Christ! You can't even admit that you were wrong!" Percy yelled, throwing his arms into the air. "Fuck this, and fuck you, I'm leaving."

Percy pushed passed Jason, ignoring the electric shock when their shoulders brushed. He stomped his way through the house that he remembered surprisingly well for not having been there for years. Thankfully, the layout was the same, so it didn't take him long to find his romper in the dryer. Ready to make his escape once he was re-dressed, Percy bit back a swear when he realized he had left his phone in Jason's room.

"Fuck," he said to himself. He refrained from stomping back into Jason's room. If other people were in the house, Percy didn't want them to see him doing his rendition of the walk of shame.

When Percy walked into Jason's room he wasn't sure what he was expecting to see Jason doing. Hopefully still stunned by his display of defiance. That would allow time to snatch the phone and high tail it home. Sadly that wasn't the case.

Yeah, Jason was definitely stunned. He was sitting on the foot of the bed motionless with his head in his hands. Percy almost felt bad. Almost.

Maybe four years ago Percy's heart would have broken at the sight of Jason looking so distraught. He would have even kissed him to make it better. In fact, four years ago he did.

Somehow that one moment of weakness for the boy he loved led him to right here. Standing right in front of that very boy. This time, with no sympathy. No love in his heart. Jason probably beat it out of him years ago. Or one of his "friends." At least that's what Percy kept telling himself to keep himself from throwing himself into Jason's arms like he was this morning.

Percy walked around Jason slowly. He snatched his phone and tried to leave as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, a warm hand grabbed his wrist right before he reached the door. Percy stopped, but he didn't turn around. Looking Jason in the eye while he was hungover and high on emotions would definitely not be the smartest thing to do.

"I'm sorry," Jason whispered.

The tiniest part of Percy's heart broke, but the rest felt nothing.

"Sorry won't cut it Jason. You hurt me. You made me hurt myself. 'Sorry' is just a word that means nothing unless you act on it."

"I saved you from Luke last night. That's why you're here. Clearly you got too drunk to remember."

Percy took a quick intake of breath. "What do you mean?" he inquired sharply, still refusing to turn around. How did he even forget to ask how he got here in the first place?

"Luke was trying to put his hands all over you last night and you kept telling him to stop. He pushed you to the ground. I stepped in. You were both drunk and I didn't want you to-"

"Thank you," Percy deadpanned, cutting Jason off. "I'll talk to Luke about that Monday, but right now my phone is dead and my mom is probably worried sick."

"Do you need a ride home?"

Percy shook his head. "My house is about a 5 minute walk from here, I'll be fine."

Before Jason could ask anymore questions or protest, Percy was out of his grip and out the door. Jason sulked back over to his bed and flopped down, closing his eyes. Maybe a quick nap would stop the guilt that weighed in his heart.

Or calm down the butterflies in his stomach.


	7. Chapter 7

Never Be the Same chapter 7

The rest of the weekend had dragged on uneventfully. Jason's friends weren't even aware of Percy's presence at the house, mainly because they weren't awake until 2 in the afternoon. Annabeth had left early in the morning to go home, freshen up, and come back when everyone was awake, so she missed Percy too.

Monday couldn't have come soon enough. Jason couldn't tell if he was dreading to see Percy or if he was eager. He wasn't sure if the events of the weekend would have changed anything between then. Jason hoped they would. In all honesty, though, he wasn't sure if he deserved it. Percy's words weighed on Jason's heart and the images of his scarred body on his mind.

Jason was the cause of his torment. Mental, physical, emotional, self. All because Jason couldn't handle a kiss.

You'd think a kiss wouldn't bring his life to where it is now. Sure he had kissed girls, but something about kissing Percy all those years ago was different. It was electric. It filled his heart with pressure. Kind of like how he felt when he woke up with Percy in his arms. Or looked into Percy's eyes.

But Jason was straight.

He liked girls. He got off to straight (or lesbian) porn and slept with girls. He made out with girls at parties and went on dates with them. Guys never gave him that sort of pleasure.

Well . . . not all guys.

Jason almost jumped out of his seat when the bell rang, signaling the start of first period. Percy rushed in, once again, right with Mrs. Tucker, right as the bell rang.

Percy got settled at the table, not even giving Jason a look. Like the blonde didn't even exist.

"Alright class, if you would take out you're notebooks, these are the steps to your lab for the week and the information you'll need for your report."

Jason scribbled mindlessly, more focused on the boy next to him rather than AP Chemistry.

0()0()0()0()0

Gym was boring. Hedge had made them run laps because he was pissed off at how the football team did on Friday. Did they win? Of course. Was it by as big of a margin as Hedge expected? Not one bit. Laps were the punishment.

At lunch, he could only focus on Percy and Luke be all flirty at lunch. Apparently Grover had a doctor's appointment in the city and wasn't at school. Apparently Percy had also forgiven Luke for what happened at the party. Or that's what Jason assumed based on how he was holding Percy's hand from across the table and making the boy laugh.

"You okay, Jason? You've been kind of off today," Hazel said.

Jason nodded a little too quickly. "Yeah, fine. Thanks Hazel. Uh, how's your protest planning coming?" Hazel's eyes lit up as she talked about the amount of people participating in her school-wide walkout, and taking down the patriarchy and white supremacists. Jason tried to pay attention for as long as he could, but his thought automatically drifted back to Percy and Luke, as well as his eyes.

"Jason!" Hazel called, snapping her fingers in front of her face. Her head whipped around to see what Jason was staring at.

"You sure you okay, bro?" Leo inquired, taking a bite of his pizza and stealing some of Reyna's fries. Her volcanic eyes narrowed but she did nothing to deter the Latino from stealing one more fried potato.

"Just distracted is all."

Frank gave a low whistle. "You're never distracted. You have such good focus sometimes I think you have a constant flow of adderall into your system."

"You know I wouldn't take drugs, Frank."

"Not the point," Reyna interrupted. "You've been a little less yourself for a week and even more so today. The year has barely even started, what's going on Jason?"

Annabeth closed her book and leaned forward, her eyes connecting with Jason's. Gray on blue. A stormy sky versus a clear won.

"Jason, you'll have to tell them sooner or later. I vote sooner. And I'm smarter so I know best."

"What is Annabeth talking about, Jason?" Nico asked concerned. "We're your friends, you should talk to us.

Jason swallowed. He knew there was no escaping the inevitable. So he told them.

"It's Percy."

From the beginning of the friendship, to the kiss that shouldn't have happened, to the bullying, and even the events that transpired at the party and the morning after. Even the words that Percy cut Jason with. All of it came tumbling out of his mouth like word vomit. He felt like a shitty parody of Mean Girls.

The crew was silent for a moment. Jason didn't miss Nico's clenched fist, despite the boy trying to hide it under the table.

Leo was the first to speak. "Bro, I'm not one to judge because I literally burned my house down, but that's fucked up. I'm almost tempted to believe it's not true. It's not like you at all." Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Wait, so are you gay Jason? I mean, you kissed him back and just recently slept in the same bed with him. That's not something a straight guy just does with his guy friend," Frank said. Jason shrugged.

"I keep telling myself I'm straight but I'm not sure. I never really thought about guys, especially after the Percy incident."

"Well maybe you should be more open to it," Piper suggested. "We won't love you any less."

"That, and try to fix things with Percy. He at least needs to know how sorry you are," Hazel added.

Jason groaned. "I tried! He didn't accept my apology!"

"Jason, you really hurt him. Like, bad. You fucked him up. Sorry isn't just going to make everything better," Nico whispered. "I'm hurt and all you did was retell a story. I can't believe you said what you did or did those things. I forgive you because I know you'd never do that again, but I also wasn't the victim here. Percy was. You owe him so much."

"I don't know how to even start though. He didn't even talk to me today and we sit next to each other in chemistry!"

Annabeth shrugged unsympathetically. "You're going to have to figure it out if you really want him to know how sorry you are."

Jason groaned and slammed his head onto the table. Did it hurt? Yes, but Percy had hurt way more than that.

0()0()0()0()0

When it was time for Mythology, Jason nearly cried in relief. The week before, Mr. Brunner had spent covering the Sumerian gods as a foundation, wanting to spend a bulk of the time on the Greek and Roman gods, and their religion and culture.

"I figured instead of heavily lecture you guys like I did last week, we are going to begin the next month or so learning about the Greek gods and goddesses. I want to start off with a project. It will be in partners."

The class broke into excited chatter, each one ready to pick their partner.

"I will be picking the partners though. This is a small class, but you barely interact with one another. I have picked the partners. Now before I tell you them," Brunner continued, ignoring the collective groan. "I am going to tell you a bit about what you'll be doing. You'll understand why I am picking partners. For this project, which we'll be doing for the next month, I want you and your partner to get to know each other. From that, you will be picking a god that reminds you of your partner and writing an essay about why that god or goddess matches your partner. I expect you all to go beyond simple things like favorite color and activity. I am giving you a month, not only to get to research the gods to get to know them, but also your partner.

"When you get into your pairs, I expect you both to make predictions based off first impressions and write it down in your notebook. At the end, we will see if your gut matches your final answer. Now, here are the partners:

Annabeth and Luke. Octavian and Reyna. Nico and Will. Frank and Rachel. Hazel and Leo. Piper and Calypso. Jason and Percy."

Jason froze.

Fuck.


	8. Chapter 8

Never Be the Same chapter 8

If you told Jason a month ago that he'd be standing in front of Percy Jackson's house a bit over a week after seeing him for the first time in over 3 years, and only a week after rescuing him from a drunk mishap and sleeping in the same bed as him in only underwear, Jason would have called you crazy.

But here he was.

Standing in front of Percy Jackson house (assuming he was given the right address) on a Saturday morning to work on a stupid project. Well, the project wasn't stupid but the situation was.

Somehow, Percy had avoided talking to Jason the whole week, even in chemistry! Where they were lab partners! For the next few weeks at least until they switched. Mr. Brunner didn't have them work on the project during the week, instead they learned about the foundations of Greek society. Jason always had some background knowledge but the Greeks never failed to amaze him.

Jason rose his hand and knocked three times. Almost immediately he heard a muffled 'I'll get it' and the thumping of feet on hardwood floor. After a couple more seconds, the door swung open to revealed a Percy with hair like he rolled out of bed (Which shouldn't have been surprising. His hair usually looked like that).

Percy eyes widened. "Fuck, it's Saturday," he groaned to himself. Jason nodded awkwardly.

"Uh, yeah. You told me we'd try to get a solid start on this project. We only have two weeks left," Jason explained, though the words were more rushed than he wanted.

"Yeah, no, I remember. Uh," Percy opened the door a bit wider. "Come in."

It was somewhat weird seeing Percy be in a house. Last time, Percy and his mother lived in a small apartment. Clearly, much had changed. Although, Jason did recall seeing Sally's name on a Best Selling Author's list now that he thought about it.

Percy led them into the living room where Jason was surprised to see a topless Luke Castellan lounging on the couch. His eyes glued to the TV where some black girl was holding a teddy bear as she burned down some building with the words "Black Museum" above it. She seemed quite satisfied.

"Luke," Percy said. The blonde turned around and almost immediately his eyes narrowed. Jason's narrowed back. Why was Luke here? More importantly, why did Percy forgive him for what happened the week prior? Did he sleep over? Why didn't he have a shirt?

"Jason and I need to work on our project. We're going in my room. Feel free to join, or stay here. Either way, please get decent before my mom and Paul get home from the store. Please?"

Luke got up from his place on the couch, never breaking eye contact with Jason until he placed a kiss on Percy's lips. It wasn't long or passionate by any means. Just enough, though, it make Jason's stomach drop and his heart clench.

"I'll meet you upstairs."

Without another word, Luke sauntered away, leaving Percy and Jason alone in awkward silence for a few moment until Jason broke it.

"So, you guys are together?"

"Yeah, I guess," Percy replied plainly.

"Don't you think it's a bit fast? Even after everything that happened last week?"

Percy's head snapped towards Jason so fast he was sure it broke. A fire burned behind his eyes.

"He apologized. He is capable of feeling remorse."

"Percy, if I didn't step in who knows what would have happened," Jason tried to reason. He wasn't sure why. Perhaps it was his stellar moral compass, or the feeling that bubbled in his stomach after seeing that kiss. "I thought you were smarter than that."

Percy put his hand up, effectively shutting Jason's big mouth. "I'm going to stop you right there Grace. One, do not ever call me stupid. I got that enough years ago. Two, what happens between me and Luke is our business. Three, the only one who has actually hurt me here is you. That's all I'll say. Now, come on, we have a project to do."

0()0()0()0()0

A few minutes later, Jason found himself sitting on Percy's floor, papers, books, and his laptop spread out around him. Percy had taken up some space near him, organizing himself in a similar fashion, while Luke was on the bed, seemingly minding his own business.

Jason would never admit it, but he felt intimidated in Percy's room. It was so much different than it was years ago. Trophies, medals, and plaques lined the walls for all Percy's swimming accomplishments. Even a picture of him with Michael Phelps where the swimmer signed 'I'll be cheering you on in Tokyo!' It was all overwhelming. That despite what Percy had been put through, he had achieved so much in so little time. And somehow was laid back and super nondescript about it at the same time.

It was quite admirable to say the least.

"So," Percy said, breaking the silence. Jason looked up from his computer. "Fill me in on the last 3 years."

Jason raised an eyebrow. "Why?" he inquired.

"Because it'll help with the project. I know you can change in a moment, so I should know about the 3 years," Percy quipped. Jason would admit that it stung a little, but never out loud.

"Well, what do you want to know?"

Percy thought before answering. "Tell me about meeting your group of friends."

And so Jason did. For the next hour, Jason explained in detail how he came across all his friends, what drew him to them, and how their friendship had grown. He didn't add in any conversation details or anything, that wouldn't just be creepy. Percy listened the whole time. Only diverting his attention to throw a crumpled paper at Luke who had taken to snoring, and to yell down to his mother when she got home. The whole time, the raven haired teen typed away on his lap top, catching certain aspects of Jason's story that he deemed important.

Just when Jason had finished speaking, Percy's mom had walked in, a tray of cheese and crackers and fruits in her hand. Jason wasn't shocked to see that she looked almost the same, save for the more defined laugh lines around her eyes and a few gray hairs. Sally, on the other hand, seemed surprised to see Jason. She froze for a second before covering her shock up with a warm smile. One that Jason had missed.

"Oh my goodness, Jason. It's been so long. Come here," she exclaimed, putting the tray down on the desk, and opened her arms.

Jason stood up and was engulfed in a hug which he gladly returned. She still smelled like fresh chocolate chip cookies.

"Oh, how have you been Jason? You've grown so much," she said, holding him at arms length and giving him a once-over.

Jason chuckled, "I've been good, Mrs. Jackson, and yourself?"

"Oh Jason, you don't need to call me that. I've known you for too long."

"Sorry, uh, Sally. It's force of habit with adults sometimes," Jason replied, embarrassed.

Sally waved him off. "It is very okay, I understand. How long will you boys be working on this project?"

Jason looked to Percy who shrugged. "I guess for a little bit more. I'm not sure I want to waste my whole day on a project we have another two weeks for. And I told Luke we'd go mini golfing at noon," he replied, gesturing to the sleeping boy. That stung Jason. A lot of Percy's words seemed to hurt Jason lately.

"Well," Sally started, "why doesn't Jason go with you? You haven't hung out in a while!" She gave Percy and Jason encouraging smiles.

"Mom, can I talk to you in the hall for a second?" Percy asked through clenched teeth. Before Sally could respond, the teen was out the door. Sally held up a finger as a means to way 'one moment' as she joined her son in the hall, closing the door behind her.

Jason wasn't one to be nosy. He knew people would tell their business when they were ready and he needed to respect that. He also knew that private conversations were just that. Private. Somehow, though, Jason felt his ear pressed up against the wooden door, trying to catch whatever he could of the conversation.

"Why would you offer that?" he heard Percy ask angrily.

"Honey, because he's your friend."

"No, he's not!"

Sally sighed. "Percy, you can't keep holding a grudge. It's not healthy."

"Mom, he hurt me. Physically, mentally, and emotionally. He is the reason I hurt myself. I almost killed myself because of him," Percy whispered heart brokenly. Jason would feel his insides clenching painfully at the words, guilt gripping his heart.

"Honey, Percy, I know. I know how much he's hurt you, and you don't need to forgive him, but you can't hate him forever."

There was silence for a few seconds.

"I-I'm just scared what he could do if I let him back in. This project isn't helping.

"Just invite him to mini-golf. Be nice to him. Make sure Luke is nice to him. It could be a nice threesome."

"Oh, gross mom! That's so gross," Percy complained, though Jason could hear the mirth in his voice.

Jason quickly removed himself from the door and went back to his laptop, attempting to act like he hadn't heard the whole conversation.

A couple minutes later, the door opened and Percy walked in alone and sat down back in his spot on the floor.

"Do, uh, do you want to go mini-golfing with me and Luke?"

Jason bit his lip. "I wouldn't want to intrude if you guys were planning on a date."

"Nonsense. I wouldn't have invited you unless I wanted you there," Percy replied. Jason's heart swelled.

"Then sure. I'd be glad to."

Percy gave Jason a small smile.

"Oh, and Percy?"

"Yeah, Jason?"

"It's 'Luke and _I_.'"

Jason felt a pen hit his head. "No it is not. Learn your grammar."

A smile smile crept onto Jason's face as well.

Maybe he could fix this whole mess he got himself into with Percy. He was going to try.


End file.
